Keyboard arrangement

ABSTRACT

A physical keyboard includes a plurality of multi-functional keys with a reduced column QWERTY key arrangement overlaid with a numeric phone key arrangement for use in both text entry and telephony. Another physical keyboard includes a plurality of multi-functional keys having an array of alphabetic characters and an overlaid numeric array of numbers. A handheld mobile station has a first user interface having a standard alphabetic key arrangement and a second user interface having a numeric phone key arrangement. The space key of the keyboard may be taller than the remainder of keys in the row.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of copending PCT Application No.CA2004/002210, filed Dec. 30, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/785,790, filed Feb. 24, 2004, whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/533,487, filed onDec. 31, 2003.

FIELD

This technology relates to a keyboard arrangement for an electronicdevice. In particular, the technology concerns a keyboard arrangementfor a handheld mobile communication device.

BACKGROUND

Different standard keyboard arrangements are known. The most widely usedEnglish-language alphabetic key arrangement is the QWERTY arrangement,as shown in FIGS. 1 & 5. Other types of standard English-languagealphabetic key arrangements include the QWERTZ arrangement, shown inFIG. 2, the AZERTY arrangement, shown in FIG. 3, and the DVORAKarrangement, shown in FIG. 4. Alphabetic key arrangements 44 are oftenpresented along with numeric key arrangements. An exemplary numeric keyarrangement is shown in FIGS. 1-4, where the numbers 1-9 and 0 arepositioned above the alphabetic keys. In another known numeric keyarrangement, numbers share keys with the alphabetic characters, such asthe top row of the QWERTY keyboard. Yet another exemplary numeric keyarrangement is shown in FIG. 5, where a numeric keypad 46 is spaced fromthe alphabetic/numeric key arrangement. The numeric keypad 46 includesthe numbers “7”, “8”, “9” arranged in a top row, “4”, “5”, “6” arrangedin a second row, “1”, “2”, “3” arranged in a third row, and “0” in abottom row, consistent with what may be found on a known computerkeyboard keypad.

A numeric phone key arrangement 42 is also known, as shown in FIG. 6.Phone keypads also often include alphabetic key arrangements overlayingor coinciding with the numeric keys, as shown in FIG. 7. Suchalphanumeric phone keypads are used in many traditional hand held mobilecommunication devices, such as cellular handsets. One standard settingbody, the International Telecommunications Union (“ITU”), hasestablished phone standards for the arrangement of alphanumeric keys.The standard phone numeric key arrangement shown in FIGS. 6 and 7corresponds to ITU Standard E.161, entitled “Arrangement of Digits,Letters, and Symbols on Telephones and Other Devices That Can Be Usedfor Gaining Access to a Telephone Network.” This standard is also knownas ANSI TI.703-1995/1999 and ISO/IEC 9995-8:1994.

Mobile communication devices that include a combined text-entry keyboardand a telephony keyboard are also known. Examples of such mobilecommunication devices include mobile stations, cellular telephones,wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), two-way paging devices, andothers. Combining a traditional-style text-entry keyboard (e.g., aQWERTY-style keyboard) with a traditional-style telephony keyboard onthe same mobile communication device typically involves undesirableergonomic and/or intuitive user interface compromises.

One prior art device that incorporates a combined alphabetic/numerickeyboard is the RIM Blackberry 950 mobile communication device, shown inFIG. 8. In this device, numeric characters share keys with alphabeticcharacters on the top row of the QWERTY keyboard. Another prior artdevice that incorporates a combined alphabetic/numeric keyboard is theRIM Blackberry 6210 mobile communication device, shown in FIG. 9. Thisdevice utilizes numeric characters in a numeric phone key arrangementconsistent with the ITU Standard E.161, discussed above. The numericcharacters share keys with alphabetic characters on the left side of thekeyboard.

An example of a mobile communication device having a keyboard assemblywith a key arrangement is described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos.09/967,536 and 10/302,242 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,442, the disclosuresof which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,052 to Kato et al. and PCT Publication No. WO02/088920 A1 to Kato et al. teach a data entry device in the form of ascreen display key input unit that utilizes a reduced QWERTY arrangementon a touch screen keyboard. Numbers are overlaid on a selective numberof alphabetic keys. Keys are selected by touching the screen of thedisplay with a pen, or by utilizing a mouse.

Mobile communication devices currently utilize predictive texttechnologies to automatically correct common spelling errors and predictthe desired word based upon the keystroke input. Predictive textmethodologies often include a disambiguation engine and/or a predictiveeditor application. A number of U.S. and foreign patents discusspredictive text procedures, including: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,818,437,5,952,942, 6,002,390, 6,223,059, 6,231,252, and 6,307,548; WO62150A1;WO9959310A2; WO0344650A2; EP1035712B1; EP129621A1; EP1378817A1;EP1347362A1; and EP1347361A1, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety. Several mobile communicationdevice manufacturers utilize predictive text technologies, includingRIM, Tegic, Motorola, Nokia, Sony, and NEC, among others.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the teachings described herein, a physical keyboardcomprises a plurality of multi-functional keys and corresponding indiciaincluding keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to aQWERTY array of letters A-Z and an overlaid numeric phone keyarrangement. The plurality of keys that comprise alphabetic and/ornumeric characters total fewer than 26.

In one embodiment, the number of keys that comprise alphabetic andnumeric characters is 14. In this embodiment, the total number of keys,including other functional keys, is 20. The plurality of keys maycomprise four rows and five columns of keys, with the four rowscomprising in order a first, second, third and fourth row, and the fivecolumns comprising in order a first, second, third, fourth, and fifthcolumn. The QWERTY array of letters is associated with three of the fourrows and the numeric phone key arrangement is associated with each ofthe four rows. The numeric phone key arrangement is associated withthree of the five columns. Specifically, the numeric phone keyarrangement may be associated with the second, third and fourth columns.The numeric phone key arrangement may alternatively be associated withkeys in the first, second, third, and fourth rows, with keys in thefirst row including a number “1” in the second column, a number “2” inthe third column, and a number “3” in the fourth column. The numericphone keys associated with keys in the second row include a number “4”in the second column, a number “5” in the third column, and a number “6”in the fourth column. The numeric phone keys associated with keys in thethird row include a number “7” in the second column, a number “8” in thethird column, and a number “9” in the fourth column. The numeric phonekeys associated with keys in the fourth row may include a “*” in thesecond column, a number “0” in the third column, and a “#” in the fourthcolumn.

The physical keyboard may also include a function associated with atleast one of the plurality of keys. The fourth row of keys may includean “alt” function in the first column, a “next” function in the secondcolumn, a “space” function in the third column, a “shift” function inthe fourth column, and a “return/enter” function in the fifth column.

The first row of five keys may comprise keys corresponding in order toletters “QW”, “ER”, “TY”, “UI”, and “OP”. The second row of five keysmay comprise keys corresponding in order to letters “AS”, “DF”, “GH”,“JK”, and “L”. The third row of five keys may comprise keyscorresponding in order to letters “ZX”, “CV”, “BN”, and “M”.

In another embodiment, the first row of five keys may comprise keyscorresponding in order to letters “QW”, “ER”, “TY”, “UI”, and “OP”. Thesecond row of five keys may comprise keys corresponding in order toletters “AS”, “DF”, “GH”, and “JKL”. The third row of five keys maycomprise keys corresponding in order to letters “ZXC”, “VB”, and “NM”.

In yet another embodiment, the first row of five keys may comprise keyscorresponding in order to letters “QW”, “ER”, “TY”, “UI”, and “OP”. Thesecond row of five keys may comprise keys corresponding in order toletters “AS”, “DF”, “GH”, “JK”, and “L”, and the third row of five keysmay comprise keys corresponding in order to letters “Z”, “XC”, “VB”, and“NM”.

One of the plurality of keys on the physical keyboard is a“return/enter” key associated with a return/enter function. The“return/enter” key may be positioned in the fifth column. The“return/enter” key may be positioned in the fourth row.

In one embodiment, the first row of five keys may comprise keyscorresponding in order to letters “QW”, “ER”, “TY”, “UI”, and “OP”. Thesecond row of five keys may comprise keys corresponding in order toletters “AS”, “DF”, “GH”, “JK”, and “L”, and the third row of five keysmay comprise keys corresponding in order to letters “ZX”, “CV”, “BN”,and “M”.

The plurality of keys may be aligned in a plurality of rows and aplurality of columns to form a grid of keys, and, in one embodiment, atleast one of the columns and the rows are straight. In anotherembodiment, one or more of the rows and the columns are non-linear.

The plurality of keys preferably comprise a shape. The shape may beuniform or non-uniform. In one embodiment, the plurality of keys isrectangular. In another embodiment, the keys are oval. In yet anotherembodiment, the keys are polygonal.

In a further embodiment of the physical keyboard, the number of keys is24 and the plurality of keys includes a first, second, third and fourthrow, and a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventhcolumn, with the first row including seven keys, the second rowincluding seven keys, the third row including seven keys, and the fourthrow including three keys. The three keys of the fourth row may bepositioned in the third, fourth, and fifth columns.

The first row of seven keys may comprise keys corresponding in order toletters “Q”, “W”, “ER”, “TY”, “UI”, “O”, and “P”. The second row ofseven keys may comprise keys corresponding in order to letters “A”, “S”,“DF”, “GH”, “JK”, and “L”, and the third row of seven keys may comprisekeys corresponding in order to letters “Z”, “XC”, “VB”, and “NM”. Thenumeric phone arrangement is associated with keys in the first, second,third, and fourth rows, with keys in the first row including a number“1” in the third column, a number “2” in the fourth column, and a number“3” in the fifth column. The numeric phone keys associated with keys inthe second row include a number “4” in the third column, a number “5” inthe fourth column, and a number “6” in the fifth column. The numericphone keys associated with keys in the third row include a number “7” inthe third column, a number “8” in the fourth column, and a number “9” inthe fifth column. The numeric phone keys associated with keys in thefourth row may include a “*” in the third column, a number “0” in thefourth column, and a “#” in the fifth column.

In yet another embodiment, the plurality of keys comprise four rows andsix columns of keys, with the four rows comprising a first, second,third and fourth row, and the six columns comprising a first, second,third, fourth, fifth, and sixth column. The numeric phone keyarrangement may be associated with the first, second, and third columnsand with the first, second, third, and fourth rows.

The first row of six keys may comprise keys corresponding in order toletters “QW”, “E”, “RT”, “YU”, “I”, and “OP”. The second row of six keysmay comprise keys corresponding in order to letters “AS”, “D”, “FG”,“HJ”, “K”, and “L”. The third row of six keys may comprise keyscorresponding in order to letters “ZX”, “C”, “V”, “BN”, and “M”. Thenumeric phone keys may comprise keys in the first row including a number“1” in the first column, a number “2” in the second column, and a number“3” in the third column. The numeric phone keys associated with keys inthe second row may include a number “4” in the first column, a number“5” in the second column, and a number “6” in the third column. Thenumeric phone keys associated with keys in the third row may include anumber “7” in the first column, a number “8” in the second column, and anumber “9” in the third column. The fourth row may comprise five keysthat are misaligned with the first through sixth columns. The fourth rowkeys comprise a first, second, third, fourth, and fifth key, with thesecond key of the fourth row comprising the “0” of the numeric phone keyarrangement.

In an alternative embodiment, the numeric phone key arrangement isassociated with the second, third, and fourth columns and with thefirst, second, third, and fourth rows. The first row of six keys maycomprise keys corresponding in order to letters “QW”, “E”, “RT”, “YU”,“I”, and “OP”. The second row of six keys may comprise keyscorresponding in order to letters “AS”, “D”, “FG”, “HJ”, and “KL”. Thethird row of six keys may comprise keys corresponding in order toletters “ZX”, “CV”, “BN”, and “M”. The numeric phone arrangement maycomprise keys in the first row including a number “1” in the secondcolumn, a number “2” in the third column, and a number “3” in the fourthcolumn. The numeric phone keys associated with keys in the second rowmay include a number “4” in the second column, a number “5” in the thirdcolumn, and a number “6” in the fourth column. The numeric phone keysassociated with keys in the third row may include a number “7” in thesecond column, a number “8” in the third column, and a number “9” in thefourth column. The fourth row may comprise three keys that aremisaligned with the first through sixth columns. The fourth row keys maycomprise a first, a second, and a third key, with the first key of thefourth row comprising a “*”, the second key of the fourth row comprisinga “0”, and the third key of the fourth row comprising a “#”.

In another embodiment, the plurality of keys comprise four rows and fourcolumns of keys, with the four rows comprising a first, second, thirdand fourth row and the four columns comprising a first, second, third,and fourth column. In this embodiment, the numeric phone key arrangementis associated with the first, second, and third columns and with thefirst, second, third, and fourth rows. The first row includes four keyscomprising keys corresponding in order to letters “QWE”, “RT”, “YU”, and“IOP”. The second row includes four keys comprising keys correspondingin order to letters “ASD”, “FGH”, and “JKL”. The third row includes fourkeys comprising keys corresponding in order to letters “ZXC”, “VB”, and“NM”. The numeric phone key arrangement comprises keys in the first rowincluding a number “1” in the first column, a number “2” in the secondcolumn, and a number “3” in the third column. The numeric phone keyarrangement comprises keys in the second row including a number “4” inthe first column, a number “5” in the second column, and a number “6” inthe third column. The numeric phone key arrangement comprises keys inthe third row including a number “7” in the first column, a number “8”in the second column, and a number “9” in the third column. The fourthrow includes four keys and the numeric phone key arrangement in thefourth row comprises keys in the first column of “*”, the second columnof “0”, and the third column of “#”. The fourth key of the second rowmay be associated with a “backspace” function. The fourth key of thethird row may be associated with a “return/enter” function. The firstkey of the fourth row may be associated with a “txt” function. Thesecond key of the fourth row may be associated with a “space” function.The third key of the fourth row may be associated with a “shift”function and the fourth key of the fourth row may be associated with an“alt” function.

In a further embodiment, the physical keyboard comprises four rows ofkeys, with the first row of keys including a first number of keys, thesecond row of keys including the first number minus one number of keys,the third row of keys including the first number minus two number ofkeys, and the fourth row of keys including the first number minus threenumber of keys. The plurality of keys may be arranged symmetricallyaround a center line.

In yet another embodiment, the physical keyboard comprises four rows ofkeys, with the first row of keys including a first number of keys, thesecond row of keys including fewer keys than the first row, the thirdrow of keys including fewer keys than the second row, and the fourth rowof keys including fewer keys than the third row. The plurality of keysmay be arranged symmetrically around a center line.

The indicia associated with the physical keyboard may comprisealphabetic indicia and numeric indicia, with the alphabetic indiciahaving a first color and the numeric indicia having a second color. Thefirst and second colors may be the same or different. The alphabeticindicia and/or numeric indicia may be positioned on the plurality ofkeys. The alphabetic indicia and numeric indicia has a font and a fontsize. The font size of the alphabetic indicia may be the same as ordifferent from the font size of the numeric indicia. The font of thealphabetic indicia may be the same as or different from the numericindicia. The font size of the alphabetic indicia may be about ⅓ the fontsize of the numeric indicia. In another embodiment, the numeric indiciamay have a font size of 10 mm.

The keyboard may also include a touch identifying portion in the form ofa raised bump or a recessed dimple that is associated with one of thekeys. In one embodiment, the identifying portion is positioned on a keyassociated with the number “5”.

In another embodiment of the physical keyboard, the keyboard comprises aplurality of multi-functional keys and corresponding indicia includeskeys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTYarray of letters A-Z. The plurality of keys is overlaid with a numericphone key arrangement. The numeric phone key arrangement is associatedwith a subset of the plurality of keys, and the subset of keys isarranged symmetrically about a center line.

The plurality of keys may be arranged in rows and columns, with the “1”,“2”, and “3” of the numeric phone key arrangement being associated withkeys in a first row, the “4”, “5”, and “6” of the numeric phone keyarrangement being associated with keys in a second row, and the “7”,“8”, and “9” of the numeric phone key arrangement being associated withkeys in a third row. The “0” of the numeric phone key arrangement isassociated with a key in the fourth row, and the “0” key is centeredbeneath the remainder of the numeric phone key arrangement. Theplurality of keys may also comprise a “*” associated with one of theplurality of keys and a “#” associated with one of the plurality ofkeys. The “*” key is 2positioned directly adjacent one side of the “0”key and the “#” key is positioned directly adjacent the other side ofthe “0” key.

In yet another embodiment, a physical keyboard arrangement comprises areduced column QWERTY array of letters A-Z overlaid with a numeric phonekey array. The numeric phone key array includes at least numbers. Thenumeric phone key array may also include symbols.

In a further embodiment, a physical keyboard comprises a plurality ofmulti-functional keys and corresponding indicia including a reducedcolumn QWERTY alphabetic key arrangement. The plurality of keys isoverlaid with a numeric phone key arrangement. The number of columns maybe an odd number and the numeric phone key arrangement may be centeredover the columns. In a preferred embodiment, the number of columns isfive and the physical keyboard arrangement further comprises four rows,with the QWERTY key arrangement utilizing keys in three of the four rowsand the numeric phone key arrangement utilizing keys in each of the fourrows.

In yet another embodiment, a physical keyboard comprises a plurality ofmulti-functional keys and corresponding indicia including keysassociated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTY array ofletters A-Z. The plurality of keys is positioned in seven columnsincluding a first, a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, and aseventh column and at least three rows including a first, a second, anda third row.

The first row may include seven keys that comprise keys corresponding inorder to letters “QW”, “E”, “R”, “TY”, “U”, “I”, and “OP”. The secondrow may include seven keys that comprise keys corresponding in order toletters “A”, “S”, “DF”, “G”, “H”, “JK”, and “L”. The third row mayinclude seven keys that comprise keys corresponding in order to letters“ZX”, “C”, “VB”, “N”, and “M”. The physical keyboard may also comprise afourth row of keys having at least five keys. The at least five keys areassociated with the functions of “next”, “shift”, “space”, “shift”, and“enter”.

The first row of seven keys may comprise keys corresponding in order toletters “QW”, “E”, “R”, “TY”, “U”, “I”, and “OP”. The second row ofseven keys may comprise keys corresponding in order to letters “A”, “S”,“DF”, “GH”, “JK”, and “L”. The third row of seven keys may comprise keyscorresponding in order to letters “ZX”, “C”, “VB”, “N”, and “M”.

The physical keyboard may include a fourth row with a numeric phone keyarrangement overlaying the QWERTY array. In one embodiment, the numericphone key arrangement is associated with the third, fourth, and fifthcolumns. In another embodiment, the numeric phone key arrangement isassociated with the first, second, and third columns. In yet anotherembodiment, the numeric phone key arrangement is associated with thesecond, third, and fourth columns.

In another embodiment, a handheld mobile station comprises a housing, adisplay, and a physical keyboard comprising a first user interfacehaving a set of keys associated therewith and a second user interfacehaving a set of keys associated therewith. A subset of the set of keysfor the second user interface is a subset of the set of keys for thefirst user interface. The first user interface is selected from thegroup consisting of QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, or DVORAK. The second userinterface is a numeric phone key arrangement. The set of keys for thefirst user interface comprises less than 26 keys.

The second user interface may be centered on a face of the handheldmobile station. Alternatively, the second user interface may bepositioned substantially on the left side of the face of the handheldmobile station. The second user interface could also be positionedsubstantially on the right side of the face of the handheld mobilestation.

A “0” indicia for the second user interface may be presented on a keyrepresenting a space bar associated with the first user interface.Indicia associated with the first user interface may be presented on theset of keys for the first user interface and indicia associated with thesecond user interface may be presented on the housing. Alternatively,indicia associated with the first user interface may be presented on theset of keys for the first user interface and indicia associated with thesecond user interface may be presented on the set of keys for the seconduser interface.

A first area of a front surface of the housing may have a first color inand around an area near the set of keys for the second user interface.The first color may be different from a second color in a second area ofthe front surface contiguous to at least a portion of the first area. Afirst and a second color on the set of keys may be associated with thefirst user interface. The first color may dominate a top portion of theset of keys and the second color may dominate a bottom portion of theset of keys. The second color may be associated with the set of keys forthe first user interface.

In another embodiment of the physical keyboard, a plurality of keys haveone or more indicia on each key, with the plurality of keys forming atleast a first user interface on the physical keyboard. The keys andindicia of the first user interface are arranged so as to form a QWERTYalphabetic configuration, with a majority of the keys of the first userinterface representing more than one alphabetic letter per key. Thephysical keyboard also comprises a subset of the plurality of keys, witheach key of the subset having indicia representing a number 0-9. Thesubset forms a second user interface positioned in a numeric phonekeypad arrangement on the physical keyboard. The indicia representingnumbers is larger in size than any alphabetic indicia on the subset ofkeys. The subset of keys may further include the symbols “*” and “#”.

In yet another embodiment, a physical keyboard comprises a plurality ofkeys having one or more indicia on each key. The plurality of keys format least a first user interface on the physical keyboard. The keys andindicia of the first user interface are arranged so as to form a QWERTYalphabetic configuration, with a majority of the keys of the first userinterface representing more than one alphabetic letter per key. Theplurality of keys on the physical keyboard is less than 26 keys. Thephysical keyboard also comprises a subset of the plurality of keys. Eachkey of the subset has indicia representing a character from a numericphone keypad arrangement. The subset forms a second user interfacearranged as a numeric phone keypad on the physical keyboard. Thecharacter from a numeric phone keypad may be selected from the groupconsisting of: “0”, “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, “6”, “7”, “8”, “9”, “*”and“#”.

In a further embodiment, a physical keyboard comprises a plurality ofmulti-functional keys and corresponding indicia including keysassociated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTY array ofletters A-Z, an overlaid numeric key array of numbers 0-9, and a “space”function. The number “0” and the “space” function are associated withthe same key.

The numeric key array may be oriented in a numeric phone keyarrangement. The plurality of keys may be arranged in at least four rowsand at least four columns, with at least some of the keys beingassociated with more than one alphabetic character.

In yet another embodiment, a physical keyboard comprises a plurality ofmulti-functional keys and corresponding indicia including keysassociated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTY array ofletters A-Z and an overlaid numeric array of numbers 0-9. The overlaidnumeric array of numbers comprise greater than 10 keys, such that atleast one of the numbers is associated with two or more keys.

The alphabetic characters may each be positioned on a single key and anumber of keys utilized for alphabetic characters is 26. Alternatively,a number of keys utilized for alphabetic characters may be less than 26such that at least two of the alphabetic characters are associated witha single key.

The numeric keys may comprise at least two keys associated with thenumbers “1”, at least two keys associated with the numbers “3”, at leasttwo keys associated with the numbers “4”, at least two keys associatedwith the numbers “6”, at least two keys associated with the numbers “7”,and at least two keys associated with the numbers “9”. In addition, thenumeric keys may further comprise at least two keys associated with thenumbers “2”, at least two keys associated with the numbers “5”, and atleast two keys associated with the numbers “8”.

In another embodiment, a physical keyboard comprises a plurality ofmulti-functional keys comprising an alphabetic array of keys comprisingthe alphabetic characters A-Z and a numeric array of keys comprising thenumeric characters 0-9 overlaid on the alphabetic array of keys. Thealphabetic and numeric characters share at least some of the pluralityof keys. The plurality of keys are arranged in a plurality of rows and aplurality of columns, each of which has a column width. The numeric keysare spaced at least one column width from one another.

In another embodiment, a physical keyboard comprises a plurality ofmulti-functional keys and corresponding indicia including keysassociated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTY array ofletters A-Z and an overlaid numeric phone key arrangement. The numericphone key arrangement is centered on the keys associated with alphabeticcharacters. The plurality of keys may be arranged in rows and columns,with alphabetic characters being associated with a first row, a secondrow, and a third row, and numbers being associated with the first row,the second row, the third row, and a fourth row, with a “1”, “2”, and“3” being associated with the first row, a “4”, “5”, and “6” beingassociated with the second row, and a “7”, “8”, and “9” being associatedwith the third row. A “0” is associated with the fourth row and iscentered beneath the numeric keys in the first, second, and third row.

A mobile communication device having a face may utilize the physicalkeyboard, described above. The physical keyboard is associated with theface and the numeric array of keys is positioned symmetrically on theface of the device.

In another embodiment, a physical keyboard comprises a plurality ofmulti-functional keys and corresponding indicia including keysassociated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a reduced QWERTYarray of letters A-Z and a subset of the plurality of keys correspondingto a numeric phone key arrangement. The numeric phone key arrangement isoriented on the keyboard such that the subset of keys is symmetricalabout a common center line.

In a further embodiment, a plurality of multi-functional keys andcorresponding indicia includes keys associated with alphabeticcharacters corresponding to a reduced QWERTY array of letters A-Z and asubset of the plurality of keys corresponding to an numeric phone keyarrangement. The plurality of keys are arranged in a first row, a secondrow, a third row, and a fourth row, and a plurality of columns. Thesubset of keys comprises a “1”, “2”, and “3” associated with keys in thefirst row, a “4”, “5”, and “6” associated with keys in the second row, a“7”, “8”, and “9” associated with keys in a third row, and a “0”associated with a key in the fourth row. In addition, the “1”, “4”, and“7” are aligned in a first column, the “2”, “5”, “8”, and “0” arealigned in a second column, and the “3”, “6”, and “9” are aligned in athird column. The key associated with “0” is centered beneath the 1-9keys of the numeric phone key arrangement.

The first, second, and third columns may be a subset of the plurality ofcolumns, and the first, second, and third columns may be centered amongthe plurality of columns. Alternatively, the first, second, and thirdcolumns may be a subset of the plurality of columns, and the first,second, and third columns may be not centered among the plurality ofcolumns.

In another embodiment, a physical keyboard comprises a plurality ofmulti-functional keys and corresponding indicia including keysassociated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTY array ofletters A-Z and a subset of the plurality of keys corresponding to anumeric array of numbers 0-9, “*”, and “#”. The key associated with “0”is positioned between a key associated with “*” and a key associatedwith “#”. The plurality of keys may comprise rows and columns, and thekeys associated with “*”, “0”, and “#” are all positioned in the samerow. The key associated with “*” may be positioned to the left of andadjacent to the key associated with “0”, and the key associated with “#”may be positioned to the right of and adjacent to the key associatedwith “0”.

In yet another embodiment, the physical keyboard comprises a pluralityof multi-functional keys and corresponding indicia including keysassociated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTY array ofletters A-Z, a first subset of the plurality of keys corresponding to anumeric array of numbers 0-9, and a second subset of the plurality ofkeys corresponding to the symbols “*” and “#”. The first subset of keysand the second subset of keys do not overlap.

The physical keyboard or physical keyboard arrangements, describedabove, may be used with a handheld mobile communication device and amobile communication device having a telephony mode and a text-entrymode, among other devices.

In yet another embodiment, a method for operating a mobile communicationdevice having the physical keyboard described above comprises inputtingnumbers into a mobile communication device by striking keys with thefingers of a single hand, and inputting letters into a mobilecommunication device by striking keys with the fingers of two hands. Themethod may also include inputting functional commands and symbols bystriking keys with fingers from a single hand, or inputting functionalcommands and symbols by striking keys with the fingers of two hands.

In a further embodiment, a keyboard comprises a plurality of keys andcorresponding indicia including keys associated with alphabeticcharacters corresponding to a standard keyboard layout array of lettersA-Z and an overlaid numeric phone key arrangement corresponding to thenumbers 0-9. The plurality of keys associated with alphabetic charactersnumber fewer than 26. In addition, the keyboard includes at least onefunction key comprising a space key, with the space key having a heightthat is greater than the height of the remainder of the plurality ofkeys.

The space key may be positioned in a row of keys and may extend belowthe remainder of keys in the row of keys. In one embodiment, theplurality of keys is arranged in a grid pattern having a plurality ofcolumns and rows, and the space key is positioned in a bottom row ofkeys and extends below the remainder of keys in the bottom row. Thespace key may be centered in the bottom row of keys. The space key mayshare a key with the number 0. The space key is configured to becontacted by the finger of a user utilizing touch. The standard keyboardlayout comprises one of QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, and DVORAK.

In another embodiment, a keyboard comprises a plurality of keys arrangedin a grid pattern having a plurality of rows including a bottom row. Theplurality of keys are associated with indicia corresponding to lettersA-Z, numbers 0-9, and at least one function. The keys positioned in thebottom row have a top line of alignment and a bottom line of alignment,with an area positioned between the top and bottom lines of alignment.At least one of the keys of the plurality of keys comprises an elongatedkey that extends outside of the area between the top and bottom lines ofalignment.

The elongated key may extend below the bottom line of alignment. Theelongated key may be centered in its respective row of keys. The atleast one function may comprise a space function, and the elongated keymay comprise a single key that is associated with the space function.The elongated key may further be associated with the number 0.

In a further embodiment, a keyboard comprises a plurality of keysarranged in a grid pattern having a plurality of rows, with each of therows having a top line of alignment and a bottom line of alignment suchthat each key in the row is at least partially positioned in an areabetween the top and bottom lines. The plurality of keys are associatedwith indicia corresponding to letters A-Z, numbers 0-9, and at least onefunction. At least one key of the plurality of keys extends outside thearea between the top and bottom lines of alignment for the respectiverow.

The plurality of rows may include a bottom row, and the at least one keythat extends outside the area between the top and bottom lines ispositioned in the bottom row. The at least one key that extends outsidethe area between the top and bottom lines may have a height that isgreater than a height of any other keys in the respective row that theat least one key is positioned in. The at least one key that extendsoutside the area between the top and bottom lines may be positioned inthe bottom, center row of the grid pattern. The at least one key thatextends outside the area between the top and bottom lines may beassociated with a space function. The at least one key that extendsoutside the area between the top and bottom lines may be furtherassociated with at least one number.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a standard QWERTY alphabetic key arrangementwith a numeric key arrangement aligned over the alphabetic keyarrangement;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a standard QWERTZ alphabetic key arrangementwith a numeric key arrangement aligned over the alphabetic keyarrangement;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a standard AZERTY alphabetic key arrangementwith a numeric key arrangement aligned over the alphabetic keyarrangement;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a standard DVORAK alphabetic key arrangementwith a numeric key arrangement aligned over the alphabetic keyarrangement;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the key arrangement of FIG. 1 positioned besidea numeric keypad;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a standard numeric phone keypad arrangement;

FIG. 7 is plan view of a standard numeric phone/alphabetic keypadarrangement;

FIG. 8 is an elevated view of a prior art handheld mobile communicationdevice;

FIG. 9 is an elevated view of a prior art handheld mobile communicationdevice;

FIG. 10 is an elevated view of a handheld mobile communication devicehaving an example keyboard incorporating a preferred keyboardarrangement;

FIG. 11 is a front view of a handheld mobile communication device havinganother example keyboard;

FIG. 11A is an exploded view of the keyboard of FIG. 11;

FIG. 12 is a left side view of the mobile communication device of FIG.11;

FIG. 13 is a right side view of the mobile communication device of FIG.11;

FIG. 14 is a back view of the mobile communication device of FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is a bottom end view of the mobile communication device of FIG.11;

FIG. 16 is a back view of the mobile communication device of FIG. 11positioned in a belt clip carrier;

FIG. 17 is a front view of the mobile communication device of FIG. 11positioned in the belt clip carrier of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a side view of the mobile communication device of FIG. 11positioned in the belt clip carrier of FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a top view of the mobile communication device of FIG. 11positioned in a belt clip carrier of FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 is a front view of a handheld device incorporating an examplekeyboard arrangement;

FIG. 21 is an example keyboard arrangement for a reduced QWERTY/numerickeyboard;

FIG. 22 is another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 23 is an alternative example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 24 is yet another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 25 is a further example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 26 is an example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTZ/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 27 is an example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyAZERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 28 is a front view of a handheld mobile communication deviceincorporating another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 29 is an example keyboard arrangement for a reduced key QWERTYkeyboard;

FIG. 30 is another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced key QWERTYkeyboard;

FIG. 31 is yet another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY keyboard;

FIG. 32 is a further example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY keyboard;

FIG. 33 is an example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 34 is another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 35 is a further example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 36 is another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 37 is yet another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 38 is a further example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 39 is another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 40 is yet another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 41 is a further example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 42 is another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 43 is another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 44 is another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 45 is another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 46 is another example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 47 is an alternative example keyboard arrangement for a reduced keyQWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 48 is another alternative example keyboard arrangement for areduced key QWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 49 is yet another alternative example keyboard arrangement for areduced key QWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 50 is a further alternative example keyboard arrangement for areduced key QWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 51 is an alternative example keyboard arrangement for a non-reducedkey QWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 52 is another alternative example keyboard arrangement for anon-reduced key QWERTY/numeric keyboard;

FIG. 53 is an exploded view of a handheld mobile communication deviceincorporating an example keyboard arrangement; and

FIG. 54 is a block diagram illustrating an example mobile communicationdevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference now to the drawings, FIGS. 10-20, 28, and 54 includevarious views of a mobile communication device 10 having an examplekeyboard 14. The keyboard 14 is a physical keyboard that includes aplurality of multi-functional keys. The keys are multi-functional inthat they may be used to enter alphabetic characters, numbers, touchtones, symbols, and/or functions, or other known entries. The keyboardis a physical keyboard in the sense that it utilizes keys that aremovable, rather than a touch screen-type keyboard, which does notutilize movable keys. In a preferred embodiment, the keys are movable toactivate switches that are positioned beneath the keys.

The example physical keyboard 14 may be used for text entry andtelephony entry and is intended to marry well known keyboards, such asthose used on computer or typewriter keyboards, with keypads, such asthose used on touch tone phones or cellular phones, into a singlearrangement. The example physical keyboard is designed to be readilyfamiliar to a user because of this marriage. The keyboard 14 provides afirst user interface that includes alphabetic characters 44 comprising astandard alphabetic format, such as QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, or DVORAK,among other known formats, for text entry, and a second user interfacethat includes numeric characters for telephony entry. Current standardalphabetic keyboard formats utilize 26 keys for alphabetic characters,as shown in FIGS. 1-5, with each key representing a single alphabeticcharacter. A preferred embodiment of the example keyboard 14 presentsalphabetic characters in a reduced key format, with fewer columns andkeys than the standard format. Each of the 26 alphabetic characters areprovided, but in a reduced format such that some of the keys of thekeyboard represent more than one alphabetic character. The alphabeticcharacters, numbers, symbols, and functions are represented on thekeyboard 14 by indicia, which may be positioned directly on the keys ofkeyboard 14, or positioned on the housing of the mobile communicationdevice.

The preferred reduced physical keyboard is accomplished by utilizingfewer columns than a standard format keyboard. Because of this, thekeyboard 14 is well suited for application on a housing form factorsimilar to that of a housing associated with a numeric-keypad-basedmobile communication device. In particular, the reduced column keyboard14 provides for reduced size devices without sacrificing speed andconvenience to a user. The reduced key keyboard also allows for smallerdevices that are more stylish and fashionable.

The second user interface of the example keyboard 14 includes numericcharacters that correspond to a phone pad 42, including the numbers 0-9.It is preferred that the array of numbers be presented on the keyboardin the format of a standard numeric phone key arrangement 42, depictedin FIG. 6, such that the numbers “1, 2, 3” appear in the first row 50,“4, 5, 6” appear in the second row 52, “7, 8, 9” appear in the third row54, and at least a “0” appears in the fourth, bottom row 56, with eachrow of numbers being symmetrical about a common center line that runsthrough the center column of numbers. It is preferred that the “0” becentered beneath the remainder of the numbers 1-9. In addition, eachnumber is positioned on its own key, as with a standard phone key pad.The standard numeric phone key arrangement corresponds to theInternational Telecommunication Union (“ITU”) Standard E.161, entitled“Arrangement of Digits, Letters, and Symbols on Telephones and OtherDevices That Can Be Used for Gaining Access to a Telephone Network”(also known as ANSI TI.703-1995/1999 and ISO/IEC 9995-8:1994).

In one embodiment, the numeric phone key arrangement 42 may also utilizea surface treatment on the surface of the center “5” key in the form ofa raised bump or recessed dimple 43. This bump or dimple 43 is typicallystandard on telephones and is used to identify the “5” key through touchalone. Once the user has identified the “5” key, it is possible toidentify the remainder of the phone keys through touch alone because oftheir standard placement. The bump or dimple 43 is depicted in FIGS. 6,10, 11A and 21, for example. The bump or dimple 43 preferably has ashape and size that is readily evident to a user through touch. Anexample bump or dimple 43 may be round, rectangular, or have anothershape if desired. Alternatively, raised bumps may be positioned on thehousing around the “5” key and do not necessarily have to be positioneddirectly on the key, as known by those of skill in the art.

The fourth row 56 may also include the symbols “*” and “#”, althoughthese symbols may alternatively be positioned at other locations on thekeyboard 14, as shown in FIG. 40, or appear on the display of the mobilecommunication device when invoked by a symbol lookup. In a preferredembodiment, the “*” key is positioned directly to the left of the “0”key and the “#” key is positioned directly to the right of the “0” key.In any case, the “*” and “#” keys preferably do not share keys with anyof the numbers 0-9.

In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 50, the numeric keyarrangement does not correspond to the ITU E.161 standard. In thisalternative embodiment, the numbers are arranged as typically arrangedon a standard typewriter keyboard that has a numeric keypad 46 spacedfrom the alphabetic characters, as shown in FIG. 5. The physicalkeyboard in FIG. 50 depicts a reduced alphabetic configuration 44 thathas a numeric arrangement 46 overlaid on the alphabetic characters 44.As with the numeric phone key arrangement 42, each number 0-9 ispositioned on a different key and the keys are symmetrical about acommon center line, with the “0” being centered beneath the remainder ofthe number keys 1-9.

The keyboard 14 may further include symbols and functions that aretypically utilized with keyboards. Example symbols include “.”, “,”,“;”, “″”, “′”, “;”, “?”, “/”, “>”, “<”, “!”, “@”, “˜”, “$”, “%”, “ˆ”,“(”, “)”, “ ”, “−”, “+”, “=”, “[”, “]”, “{”, “}”, “|”, and “\”, amongother known symbols. Example functions include “tab”, “caps lock”,“shift”, “control”, “alt”, “return/enter”, “backspace”, “insert”,“delete”, “home”, “end”, “page up”, “page down”, “end”, “escape”,“pause”, “break”, “send”, “end”, “txt”, “sym”, and “scroll lock”, amongother known functions associated with text entry or telephony entry.

The keys on the physical keyboard 14 that are associated with numbersmay be used in both text mode and in telephony (numeric) mode. Thekeyboard 14 may include a mode selection key, or other hardware orsoftware for switching between text entry (the first user interface) andtelephony entry (the second user interface). The telephony charactersmay be input when the mobile communication device 10 is in telephony ortext-entry mode, and the text-entry characters may be input when themobile communication device 10 is in text-entry mode. The functionalkeys may also be configured to operate in both the telephony mode andthe text-entry mode, or, alternatively, one or more of the functionalkeys may be operable in only the telephony mode or the text-entry mode.In this manner, the keyboard 14 has at least two distinct ergonomicconfigurations depending upon the mode of the mobile communicationdevice 10.

In a preferred embodiment, a toggle key is utilized for mode selectionbetween the text-entry and telephony (numeric) modes. Sample toggle keysinclude the “alt” or “shift” key, where the user selects one of thesekeys to switch data input from text-entry to telephony mode, or viceversa.

Alternatively, software may be used to determine the mode of entry. Ifthe user is utilizing the telephony application, the default data entrymode will be numbers. If the user is utilizing the text-entryapplication, such as when composing an email, the default data entrymode will be text. When in each of these modes, the user may switchmodes manually by utilizing a toggle key. For example, to enter text ina telephony application, the user selects the “alt” key and then pressesthe desired alphanumeric key corresponding to the desired letter.Software could also be used to predict whether the user is in telephonyor text-entry mode, based upon the keystrokes that are entered by theuser.

By providing both a text-entry and a telephony mode, the keyboard designresults in at least two distinct, but familiar user interfaces that theuser has likely had experience using separately on two distinct devices.In each of the reduced format keyboards 14 discussed herein, theselection of a particular character, number, symbol, or function may bederived from predictive text software residing on the mobilecommunication device and/or from multiple switches associated with thekeys, as discussed in greater detail below.

Referring again to the drawings, FIG. 10 shows a handheld mobilecommunication device 10 that has an example physical keyboard array oftwenty keys, with five columns and four rows. Fourteen keys are used foralphabetic characters and ten keys are used for numbers. Nine of the tennumbers share a key with alphabetic characters. The “space” key and thenumber “0” share the same key, which is centered on the device andcentered below the remainder of the numbers on the keyboard 14. The fourrows include a first row 50, a second row 52, a third row 54, and afourth row 56. The five columns include a first column 60, a secondcolumn 62, a third column 64, a fourth column 66, and a fifth column 68.Each of the keys in the first row 50, second row 52, and third row 54 isuniformly sized while the keys in the fourth, bottom row 56 havedifferent sizes relative to one another and to the keys in the firstthree rows 50, 52, 54. The rows and columns are straight, although thekeys in the fourth row 56 do not align completely with the columnsbecause of their differing sizes. The columns substantially align withthe longitudinal axis x-x of the device 10. In another embodiment ofthis example keyboard array, such as that shown in FIGS. 11 and 20, therows and/or columns need not be straight.

FIG. 11 shows a handheld mobile communication device 10 that has anexample physical keyboard array of 20 keys, with five columns and fourrows. An exploded view of the keyboard is presented in FIG. 11A.Fourteen keys on the keyboard 14 are associated with alphabeticcharacters and ten keys are associated with numbers. The four rowsinclude a first row 50, a second row 52, a third row 54, and a fourthrow 56. The five columns include a first column 60, a second column 62,a third column 64, a fourth column 66, and a fifth column 68. Many ofthe keys have different sizes than the other keys, and the rows arenon-linear. In particular, the rows are V-shaped, with the middle key inthe third column 64 representing the point of the V. The columns aregenerally straight, but the outer two columns 60, 62, 66, 68 angleinwardly toward the middle column 64. To readily identify the phone userinterface (the second user interface), the numeric phone keys 0-9include a color scheme that is different from that of the remaining keysassociated with the QWERTY key arrangement. In this example, the colorscheme of the numeric phone keys has a two tone appearance, with theupper portion of the numeric keys being a first color and the lowerportion of the numeric keys being a second color. In the example, theupper portion of the keys is white with blue letters and the lowerportion of the keys is blue with white letters. Most of the remainingkeys associated with the QWERTY key arrangement are predominantly thesecond, blue color with white lettering. The first color may be lighterthan the second color, or darker than the second color. In addition, thekeyboard 14 includes a “send” key 6 and an “end” key 8. The “send” key 6is positioned in the upper left corner of the keyboard 14 and the “end”key 8 is positioned in the upper right corner. The “send” key 6 and“end” key 8 may have different color schemes than the remainder of thekeys in order to distinguish them from other keys. In addition, the“send” and “end” keys 6, 8 may have different colors from one another.In the example shown, the “send” key 6 is green and the “end” key 8 isred. Different colors may be utilized, if desired.

FIGS. 12-15 depict various views of the sides, end, and back of themobile communication device 10. FIG. 12 depicts the headset jack 20 andUSB port 22. FIG. 14 depicts a speaker port 24, external chargingcontacts 26, a speakerphone button 28, and a battery door release 30.FIG. 15 shows the power button 32.

FIGS. 16-19 depict the handheld device 10 of FIG. 11 installed in a beltclip assembly 34. FIG. 16 includes an extended area 36, which makes thebelt clip more easily attached to and removed from a belt. FIG. 16 alsoshows an internal retainer 38 that locks the device 10 in place. FIG. 17depicts a swivel belt clip 40. FIG. 18 depicts the headset jack 20 andUSB port 22, which are accessible through the belt clip assembly 34 whenholstered on a belt.

FIG. 20 depicts a handheld mobile communication device 10 similar toFIG. 10, but with a different key arrangement. In this embodiment, a 20key array is provided in five columns and four rows. Fourteen keys areassociated with alphabetic characters 44 and ten keys are associatedwith numbers 42. The four rows include a first row 50, a second row 52,a third row 54, and a fourth row 56. The five columns include a firstcolumn 60, a second column 62, a third column 64, a fourth column 66,and a fifth column 68. The rows are arcuately shaped, with the uppermost part of the arc being in the center column 64. Each of the columnsis straight and substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis X-X ofthe device 10. The keys are oval shaped and multi-functional. The phonepad numbers 42 are overlaid on and associated with some of the same keysas keys that are associated with the alphabetic characters 44. Nine ofthe ten numbers share keys with alphabetic characters. In a preferredembodiment, the phone numbers 0-9 are centered on the alphabeticcharacter key arrangement 44. The “space” bar coincides with the number“0” and is centered in the third column 64 of the fourth row 56.

FIGS. 21-27 depict various key configurations for the physical keyboardarray shown in FIG. 20, which utilizes five columns and four rows torepresent a reduced column QWERTY keyboard with an overlaid numericphone key arrangement 42. The four rows include a first row 50, a secondrow 52, a third row 54, and a fourth row 56. The five columns include afirst column 60, a second column 62, a third column 64, a fourth column66, and a fifth column 68.

FIG. 21 depicts a user interface having a numeric phone key arrangement42 combined with a QWERTY alphabetic configuration 44. The total numberof keys is 15, with alphabetic characters being associated with 14 ofthe keys and numbers being associated with ten of the keys. In thisparticular embodiment, the numeric phone key arrangement 42 is centeredacross the second, third, and fourth columns 62, 64, 66. Nine of thekeys share alphabetic and numeric input. For example, the “ER/1” key maybe used to input the letters “E” or “R”, or the number “1”. Additionalnavigational (i.e., backspace, return/enter, exit), symbolic, andfunctional (i.e., alt, control) keys may be added to the keyboard 14, asillustrated in FIG. 22.

Indicia is positioned on each key to indicate which alphabeticcharacters, numbers, symbols and functions are associated with each key.In order to differentiate the alphabetic characters and numbers from oneanother, the font size of the numerical indicia on the keys shown inFIG. 21 is larger than the font size of the alphabetic characterindicia. In an alternate embodiment, the font types may be differentbetween the numeric and alphabetic indicia. Other embodiments mayutilize different font size and different font type to furtherdifferentiate between alphabetic and numeric indicia. A further methodfor differentiating between numeric and alphabetic indicia is to usedifferent colors for the indicia. For example, the numeric indicia mayhave a first color, the alphabetic indicia may have a second color, andthe remaining non-alphabetic or numeric keys may have a third color,such as shown in FIG. 22. Alternatively, as previously discussed inconnection with FIG. 11A, the background color of the keys themselvesmay be different in order to differentiate between the types of keys.Different textures and/or surface treatments may also be used, amongother differentiating indicia.

FIG. 22 depicts a twenty key physical keyboard 14 where the numericphone key arrangement 42 is centered between the five columns. The firstrow 50 of keys includes in order the following key combinations for thetext entry and telephony mode: “QW”, “ER/1”, “TY/2”, “UI/3”, and “OP”.The second row 52 includes the following key combinations in order:“AS/,”, “DF/4”, “GH/5”, “JK/6”, and “L/.”. The third row 54 includes thefollowing key combinations in order: “ZX/sym”, “CV/7”, “BN/8”, “M/9” and“backspace/delete.” The “sym” function key pulls up a list of symbolsthat the user may input. The fourth row 56 includes the following keycombinations in order: “alt”, “next/*”, “space/0”, “shift/#”, and“return/enter”. The keys in the top three rows 50, 52, 54 are of uniformsize while the keys in the fourth row 56 have a size that is differentfrom the keys in the top three rows. In particular, the center “space”key 84 is larger than the other four keys in the row, with the otherfour keys having a similar size. The outermost keys in the fourth row 56also have a more rounded shape, for aesthetic and other reasons. Each ofthe rows is straight and each of the columns is straight, with the keysin the fourth row 56 being misaligned with the five columns due to theirdifferent sizes. The “0” of the numeric phone key arrangement 42coincides with the “space” bar. In another embodiment of the fourth row56, the center “space” key contains multiple functions, symbols,characters or numbers; such as the key combination “next/*”, “space/0”,“shift/#”, or some combination thereof. The selection of a particularfunction, character, symbol or number may be derived from predictivetext software residing on the mobile communication device and/ormultiple switches associated with the “space” key.

FIG. 22 also depicts another feature of the example keyboard. In thisfeature, the space key has a greater height than the remaining keys inthe fourth row 56 of the keyboard such that it is elongated relative tothe other keys. In one embodiment, as shown, the space key extendsdownwardly past the bottom of the remainder of the keys in the fourthrow 56. In particular, each row of keys has a top line of alignment Tand a bottom line of alignment B for all the keys in the row such thatall the keys are positioned at least partially between the top andbottom lines T, B. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 22, the space keyextends below the bottom line of alignment B. The taller space keyallows the user to more easily recognize the space key, which is anoften used key on the keyboard. Because the key extends below theremainder of the keys in the bottom row 56, the user's finger may morereadily discern the location of the key through touch. This feature isalso shown in FIGS. 26, 27, and 47.

FIG. 23 shows a similar format for the reduced QWERTY arrangement ofalphabetic characters 44 as presented in FIG. 22, but the numeric phonekey arrangement 42 is positioned in the first 60, second 62, and third64 columns instead of being centered on the keyboard 14. The first row50 of keys includes in order the following key combinations for the textentry and telephony mode: “QW/1”, “ER/2”, “TY/3”, “UI”, and “OP”. Thesecond row 52 includes the following key combinations in order: “AS/4”,“DF/5”, “GH/6”, ”JK”, and “L/.”. The third row 54 includes the followingkey combinations in order: “ZX/7”, “CV/8”, “BN/9”, “M/sym” and“backspace/delete”. The fourth row 56 includes the following keycombinations in order: “next/*”, “space/0”, “shift/#”, “alt” and“return/enter”. The keys in each of the rows is of uniform size and therows and columns are straight.

FIG. 24 illustrates a combined QWERTY alphabetic arrangement 44 and anumeric phone key pad arrangement 42 where the keys associated with thenumeric input are spaced across the physical keyboard 14. As shown,numbers are associated with the first, third, and fifth columns 60, 64,68 and are spaced from each other by one column width. In particular,the numeric “1” indicia is positioned on the “QW” key, the “2” indiciais positioned on the “TY” key, and the “3” indicia is positioned on the“OP” key. Other embodiments of the layout include having the numeric andalphabetic indicia represented by alternate key configurations. Forexample, one alternate configuration includes the “1” indicia overlaidon the “OP” key, the “2” indicia on the “UI” key, and the “3” indicia onthe “TY” key. In all cases, the “0” key is centered beneath theremainder of the numeric 1-9 keys.

FIG. 25 illustrates another embodiment of a combined reduced QWERTYalphabetic arrangement 44 and a numeric phone keypad arrangement 42,where the indicia for the numeric arrangement is positioned on thesurface of the housing, not on the keys. In this embodiment, the numeric“1” indicia is positioned directly above the “ER” key on the secondcolumn 62, first row 50; the numeric “2” indicia is located above the“TY” key on the third column 64, first row 50; and numeric “3” indiciais located above the “UI” key on the fourth column 66, first row 50.Furthermore, the numeric “4” indicia is located between the “DF” key onthe second column 62, second row 52 and the “ER” key, and the numeric“7” indicia is located between the “DF” key and the “CV” key on thesecond column 62, third row 54.

FIG. 26 shows another key arrangement similar to that shown in FIG. 22,but for a reduced QWERTZ keyboard arrangement. FIG. 27 shows a keyarrangement similar to that shown in FIG. 22, but for a reduced AZERTYkeyboard arrangement. In each of the embodiments described above, thereturn/enter key 48 is positioned in the vicinity of the right, bottomcorner of the keyboard 14. In a preferred embodiment, the return/enterkey 48 is positioned in the fifth column 68 or in the fourth row 56.

FIG. 28 illustrates a handheld device 10 similar to that shown in FIG.20, but with a seven column by four row reduced key arrangement. Thefour rows include a first row 50, a second row 52, a third row 54, and afourth row 56. The seven columns include a first column 60, a secondcolumn 62, a third column 64, a fourth column 66, a fifth column 68, asixth column 70, and a seventh column 72. The first, uppermost row 50includes seven keys. The second row 52 includes seven keys and the thirdrow 54 includes seven keys. The fourth, lowermost row 56 includes onlythree keys, which are shown aligned with the third 64, fourth 66, andfifth 68 columns. Alphabetic characters are associated with 17 of thetotal 24 keys. Numbers are associated with ten keys, nine of which sharean association with alphabetic characters. The alphabetic characters areassociated with keys in the first, second, and third rows and numbersare associated with keys in each of the four rows. The columns aregenerally straight and the rows are arcuate, with the arc being centeredin the fourth column 66. Each of the columns is straight and alignedwith a longitudinal axis X-X of the device 10. The keys are oval shapedand multi-functional.

FIG. 29 shows a physical keyboard 14 arrangement similar to that shownin FIG. 28, but with rectangular shaped keys and columns and rows thatare straight. In particular, the keyboard 14 arrangement of FIG. 29includes four rows and seven columns. The four rows include a first row50, a second row 52, a third row 54, and a fourth row 56. The sevencolumns include a first column 60, a second column 62, a third column64, a fourth column 66, a fifth column 68, a sixth column 70, and aseventh column 72. Alphabetic characters 44 are associated with 19 ofthe total 28 keys. FIG. 29 does not depict a telephony key mode, butcould include a telephony mode if desired, as shown in FIGS. 33-37. Thefirst row 50 of keys includes in order the following key combinationsfor the text entry mode: “QW”, “E”, “R”, “TY”, “U”, “I”, and “OP”. Thesecond row 52 includes the following key combinations in order: “A”,“S”, “DF”, “G”, “H”, “JK”, and “L”. The third row 54 includes thefollowing key combinations in order: “alt”, “ZX”, “C”, “VB”, “N”, “M”and “backspace/delete”. The fourth row 56 includes the following keycombinations in order: “next”, “shift”, “space”, “shift”, and“return/enter”. The keys in each of the rows are of uniform size and therows and columns are straight. The first and last keys of the fourth row56 are shown as being blank, but may be installed with any type offunction or symbol key, among other types of keys. Alternatively, thesekeys may not be present in the keyboard 14.

FIG. 30 shows a physical keyboard 14 arrangement similar to that shownin FIG. 29, but with only five keys in the fourth row 56. In particular,the keyboard 14 arrangement of FIG. 30 includes four rows and sevencolumns, but with the fourth row 56 only including five keys. The fourrows include a first row 50, a second row 52, a third row 54, and afourth row 56. The seven columns include a first column 60, a secondcolumn 62, a third column 64, a fourth column 66, a fifth column 68, asixth column 70, and a seventh column 72. Alphabetic characters 44 areassociated with 19 of the total 28 keys. FIG. 30 does not depict atelephony key mode, but could include a telephony mode if desired, asshown in FIGS. 33-37. The first row 50 of keys includes in order thefollowing key combinations for the text entry mode: “QW”, “E”, “R”,“TY”, “U”, “I”, and “OP”. The second row 52 includes the following keycombinations in order: “A”, “S”, “DF”, “G”, “H”, “JK”, and “L”. Thethird row 54 includes the following key combinations in order: “alt”,“ZX”, “C”, “VB”, “N”, “M” and “backspace/delete”. The fourth row 56includes the following key combinations in order: “next”, “shift”,“space”, “shift”, and “return/enter”. The keys in each of the rows areof uniform size, other than the keys in the fourth row 56, which have asize that is different from the keys in the first through third rows 50,52, 54. In particular, the “space” key is larger than other keys on thekeyboard 14. The rows and columns are straight, although the keys in thefourth row 56 are misaligned with the seven columns. The keys in thefourth row 56, although fewer than seven, span the entire width of allseven columns.

FIG. 31 shows a physical keyboard 14 arrangement similar to that shownin FIG. 30, but with the keys in the fourth row 56 having a combinedwidth that is less than the width of the seven columns of keys. FIG. 32shows a keyboard 14 arrangement similar to that shown in FIG. 30, butwith a fourth row 56 that includes only three keys and with the fourthrow 56 having a width that does not span the entire width of the sevencolumns of keys. The fourth row 56 in FIG. 32 includes the following keycombinations: “next”, “space”, and “shift.”

FIG. 33 shows a physical keyboard 14 arrangement similar to that shownin FIG. 29, but with a numeric phone key arrangement 42 overlaid on thereduced QWERTY alphabetic arrangement 44 of keys. The indicia for thekeys is positioned directly on the keys. The four rows include a firstrow 50, a second row 52, a third row 54, and a fourth row 56. The sevencolumns include a first column 60, a second column 62, a third column64, a fourth column 66, a fifth column 68, a sixth column 70, and aseventh column 72. In this embodiment, the numeric phone key arrangement42 is centered on the keypad in the third 64, fourth 66, and fifth 68columns. Alphabetic characters 44 are associated with 19 of the total 28keys. Numbers are associated with ten of the keys, some of which sharean association with alphabetic characters. The first row 50 of keysincludes in order the following key combinations for the text entry andtelephony mode: “QW”, “E”, “R/1”, “TY/2”, “U/3”, “I”, and “OP”. Thesecond row 52 includes the following key combinations in order: “A”,“S”, “DF/4”, “G/5”, “H/6”, “JK”, and “L”. The third row 54 includes thefollowing key combinations in order: “alt”, “ZX”, “C/7”, “VB/8”, “N/9”,“M” and “backspace/delete”. The fourth row 56 includes the following keycombinations in order: “next”, “shift/*”, “space/0”, “shift/#”, and“return/enter”. The keys in each of the rows are of uniform size and therows and columns are straight. The first and last keys of the fourth row56 are shown as being blank, but may be installed with any type offunction or symbol key, among other types of keys.

FIG. 34 shows a physical keyboard 14 arrangement similar to that shownin FIG. 33, but with a numeric phone key arrangement 42 positioned inthe second 62, third 64 and fourth 66 columns. The first row 50 of keysincludes in order the following key combinations for the text entry andtelephony mode: “QW”, “E/1”, “R/2”, “TY/3”, “U”, “I”, and “OP”. Thesecond row 52 includes the following key combinations in order: “A”,“S/4”, “DF/5”, “G/6”, “H”, “JK”, and “L”. The third row 54 includes thefollowing key combinations in order: “alt”, “ZX/7”, “C/8”, “VB/9”, “N”,“M” and “backspace/delete”. The fourth row 56 includes the following keycombinations in order: “next/*”, “shift/0”, “space/#”, “shift”, and“return/enter”. The keys in each of the rows are of uniform size and therows and columns are straight. The first and last keys of the fourth row56 are shown as being blank, but may be installed with any type offunction or symbol key, among other types of keys.

FIG. 35 shows a physical keyboard 14 arrangement similar to that shownin FIG. 33, but with a numeric phone key arrangement 42 positioned inthe first 60, second 62, and third 64 columns. The first row 50 of keysincludes in order the following key combinations for the text entry andtelephony mode: “QW/1”, “E/2”, “R/3”, “TY”, “U”, “I”, and “OP”. Thesecond row 52 includes the following key combinations in order: “A/4”,“S/5”, “DF/6”, “G”, “H”, “JK”, and “L”. The third row 54 includes thefollowing key combinations in order: “alt/7”, “ZX/8”, “C/9”, “VB”, “N”,“M”and “backspace/delete”. The fourth row 56 includes the following keycombinations in order: “next/*”, “space/0”, “shift/#”, and“return/enter”. The keys in each of the rows are of uniform size and therows and columns are straight. The keys in the fourth 66, fifth 68, andsixth 70 columns of the fourth row 56 are shown as being blank, but maybe installed with any type of function or symbol key, among other typesof keys. While a numeric phone key arrangement 42 is preferred to becentered on the keyboard 14, it may be positioned in any of the columnsof the keyboard 14.

FIG. 36 shows a physical keyboard 14 arrangement similar to that shownin FIG. 33, but with the fourth row 56 having only five keys. The“space” bar is oversized compared to the other keys and includes thenumber “0”. In addition, the “space” bar is centered on the keyboard 14and beneath the remainder of the numeric phone key arrangement 42. Therows and columns are straight, although the keys in the fourth row 56are misaligned with the seven columns. The keys in the fourth row 56,although fewer than seven, span the entire width of all seven columns.

FIG. 37 is similar to FIG. 36, except the keys in the fourth row 56 donot span the entire width of the seven columns. Other key arrangementsmay also be utilized, without limitation.

FIGS. 38 and 39 depict five column, four row key reduced QWERTYalphabetic key arrangements 44 that are similar to the keyboardarrangements presented in FIGS. 20-27, but with different keydesignations. FIG. 38 utilizes a total of 18 keys, with alphabeticcharacters 44 being associated with 12 of the total keys. FIG. 39includes a total of 20 keys and 14 of the keys are associated withalphabetic characters 44. In each of FIGS. 38 and 39, the numeric phonekey arrangement 42 is preferably positioned in the center three columns52, 54, 56, although it could be positioned in other columns, ifdesired.

FIGS. 40 and 41 depict a six column, four row reduced QWERTY alphabetickey arrangements 44. The four rows include a first row 50, a second row52, a third row 54, and a fourth row 56. The six columns include a firstcolumn 60, a second column 62, a third column 64, a fourth column 66, afifth column 68, and a sixth column 70. FIG. 40 utilizes a total of 25keys. Alphabetic characters 44 are associated with 17 of the keys. Thenumeric phone key arrangement 42 is associated with the keys in thefirst, second, and third columns 60, 62, 64. FIG. 40 has five keys inthe fourth row 56 instead of six, and also utilizes additional “select”88 and “cancel” 86 keys in the center of the keyboard 14 arrangement,such that three of the columns 60, 62, 64 are positioned to the left ofthe “select” key 88 and three of the columns 66, 68, 70 are positionedto the right of the “select” key 88. The “space” key 84 is centeredbelow the “select” key 88. The “select” key 88 is preferably a togglekey.

FIG. 41 includes a total of 22 keys. Alphabetic characters 44 areassociated with 15 of the keys. The numeric phone key arrangement 42 isassociated with keys in the second, third and fourth 62, 64, 66 columns.FIG. 41 utilizes four keys in the fourth row 56. In both of FIGS. 40 and41, the “0” key is centered beneath the remainder of the numeric phonekey arrangement 42. In FIG. 40, the “*” and “#” keys are not positionednext to the “0” key. Instead, they are associated with alphabetic keys,shown positioned to the right of the “select” 88 key. They may bepositioned at other locations, if desired, although a preferred locationis directly on either side of the “0” key so that the numeric phone keyarrangement is more familiar to the user.

FIG. 42 depicts a four column, four row reduced QWERTY arrangement ofalphabetic characters 44, with a numeric phone key arrangement 42overlaid on the alphabetic characters of the QWERTY arrangement 44. Thenumeric phone keys 42 are positioned in the first, second, and thirdcolumns 60, 62, 64 of the keyboard arrangement and the “space/0” key iscentered beneath the remainder of the numbers 1-9. Alphabetic charactersare associated with ten of the total 16 keys and numbers are associatedwith nine of the alphabetic keys.

FIGS. 43 and 44 depict reduced QWERTY alphabetic key arrangements 44,with four rows of keys, where the first row 50 has a greater number ofkeys than the fourth row 56 of keys. Each intermediate row has fewerkeys than the row positioned above it. In FIG. 43, the first row 50includes six keys, the second row 52 includes five keys, the third row54 includes four keys and the fourth row 56 includes three keys. Thus,each row below the first row 50 has one less key than the row positioneddirectly above it. FIG. 44 has five keys in the first row 50, four keysin the second row 52, three keys in the third row 54, and one key in thefourth row 56. Other similar non-uniform arrangements may also beutilized, if desired. While numbers are not depicted in FIGS. 43 and 44,they could be overlaid on the keys, as with any of the prior or laterembodiments.

FIGS. 45 and 46 depict alternative embodiments of a reduced QWERTYphysical keyboard, showing three rows and six columns. The keys areseparated into left side 80 and right side 82 keys, with the left sidekeys 80 being centered on a “space” key 84 and the right side keys 82being centered on a “space” key 84. The keys are depicted as having anoblong shape, but may take on other shapes. In addition, numbers may beincluded, if desired.

FIGS. 47-49 depict alternative embodiments of a physical keyboard 14having keys associated with a reduced QWERTY arrangement of alphabeticcharacters 44 overlaid with a numeric phone key arrangement 42. In theseembodiments, some of the numbers are associated with more than one key.For example, FIG. 47 illustrates a five column keyboard 14 where theoutermost rows of the numeric phone key arrangement 42 are duplicated,such that if a user strikes any of the keys in the top three rows 50,52, 54, a number will be selected in telephony mode. In particular, thenumbers “1, 4, 7” are associated with both the first and second columns60, 62 while the numbers “3, 6, 9” are associated with both the fourthand fifth columns 66, 68. The numeric phone key arrangement 42 remainscentered on the key board 14 and the “space” function shares the “0”key, which remains centered under the remainder of the numbers andcentered on the keyboard 14.

FIG. 48 depicts a six column reduced QWERTY physical keyboard 14 wherethe numeric phone key arrangement 42 is associated with keys in each ofthe six columns. The numbers “1, 4, 7” are associated with the first andsecond columns 60, 62; the numbers “2, 5, 8, 0” are associated with thethird and fourth columns 64, 66; and the numbers “3, 6, 9” areassociated with the fifth and six columns 68, 70. The numeric phone keyarrangement is again centered on the keyboard 14. The “space” functionshares a key with one of the “0” keys.

FIG. 49 is similar to FIGS. 47-48, but utilizes seven columns for areduced QWERTY key arrangement. The numbers “1, 4, 7” are associatedwith keys in the first and second columns 60, 62; the numbers “2, 5, 8,0” are associated with keys in the third, fourth and fifth columns 64,66, 68; and the numbers “3, 6, 9” are associated with the keys in thesixth and seventh columns 70, 72. In addition, FIG. 49 shows indicia forthe numeric phone key arrangement 42 positioned on each of the keys. Theindicia has a different font size and color for the alphabetic characterindicia than for the numeric indicia.

FIG. 50 depicts an alternative embodiment of a reduced key QWERTYphysical keyboard 14 that is combined with a numeric key pad 46, such asthat shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the numbers “7, 8, 9” arepositioned in the first row 50, the numbers “4, 5, 6” are positioned inthe second row 52, the numbers “1, 2, 3” are positioned in the third row54, and the number “0” is positioned in the fourth row 56 centered underthe remainder of the numbers. As with prior embodiments, the numbers ofthe numeric key pad 46 may be positioned in other columns, or may beprovided in multiple columns, such as shown in FIGS. 47-49 or 51-52.

FIGS. 51 and 52 present yet another example physical keyboard 90. Thiskeyboard is a full QWERTY alphabetic arrangement that has a numericphone key arrangement 42 overlaid on the alphabetic characters such thatmany of the keys are multi-functional. In this embodiment, like FIGS.47-49, the numbers of the numeric phone key arrangement 42 areassociated with more than one key. For example, the numbers “1, 4, 7”are associated with keys in both the third and fourth columns 64, 66;the numbers “2, 5, 8, 0” are associated with keys in both the fifth andsixth columns 68, 70; and the numbers “3, 6, 9” are associated with keysin both the seventh and eighth columns 2, 74. The indicia associatedwith the numbers is provided on the face of the keyboard 14 instead ofdirectly on the keys, and brackets or other instructional markings maybe provided on the keyboard 14 to identify which keys are associatedwith numbers, if desired. FIG. 51 utilizes a “space” function associatedwith the two “0” keys. FIG. 52 is similar to FIG. 51 except the centerfour keys of row 56 are combined as a single key that is associated withboth a “0” and the “space” functions.

Symbols, where not shown, may also be included on the keys shown in thefigures. In each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 20, 22-23, 26-43,46-52, and 54, the “return/enter” 48 key is positioned in the vicinityof the right, bottom corner of the keyboard 14. In a preferredembodiment, the “return/enter” 48 is positioned in the right most columnor in the fourth row 56.

The physical keyboard 14 includes hardware and software associated witheach of the keys for entry of a character, as indicated by indicia on ornear the key. An example of a mobile communication device having akeyboard assembly with hardware and software associated with key entryis described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/967,537 and10/302,242 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,442, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety, and depicted inFIGS. 53 and 54.

FIG. 53 is an exploded view of the hardware of a mobile communicationdevice 10 incorporating an example keyboard arrangement 14. The deviceincludes a first device housing section 260 and a second device housingsection 262. The housing sections are connected together with fasteners(not shown) that engage a plurality of holes 250, 254 to form a singleintegrated device housing that encloses the internal components of themobile communication device 10. The fasteners may be screws, rivets orthe like. Fasteners are but one example of possible components that maybe used to couple the device housing sections together. Other componentsinclude flexible or rigid but deformable members, possibly integral withone of the device housing sections, which engage cooperating structureson the other or each device housing section or are deformed to hold thedevice housing sections together. The device housing sections might alsoor instead be coupled together by bonding, with adhesive, for example.However, the device housing sections are preferably coupled togetherusing releasable fasteners such as screws.

Referring to FIG. 53, the device 10 includes a PCB (printed circuitboard) 264. Most of the internal components of the mobile communicationdevice are preferably mounted on the PCB 264. The keyboard 14 ispreferably formed by positioning a key web 233A over a plurality ofswitches 233B on the PCB 264. The key web 233A and plurality of switches233B are preferably configured such that each key in the key web 233Acontacts and operates one of the switches 233B when the key isdepressed. Other configurations may also be implemented, in which thenumber of switches 233B may be less than the number of keys on the keyweb 233A, or the number of switches 233B may be greater than the numberof keys on the key web 233A. The key web 233A and switches 233B are alsopositioned such that the apertures 235 on the first device housingsection 260 at least partially expose the keyboard 14. Portions of thekey-web 233A are exposed by the apertures 235 to provide key surfacesthat may be depressed by a user to provide data input to the device 10.Such data input may, for example, be used to generate datacommunications on the device 10.

A display 16 is preferably mounted on the PCB 264, as shown in FIG. 53.When the first device housing section 260 and second device housingsection 262 are coupled together, an aperture 223 in the first devicehousing section 260 at least partially exposes the display 16. Theaperture 223 in the first device housing section 260 and the display 16on the PCB 264 may be positioned such that a viewing area 225 of thedisplay 16 is exposed. The frame and other components associated withthe display 16 are preferably hidden from view when the first and seconddevice housing sections 260, 262 are coupled together.

A speaker 234 is preferably mounted at or near the top of the PCB 264.One or more apertures 235 in the first device housing section 260 arepositioned to at least partially expose the speaker 234 when the firstand second device housing sections 260, 262 are coupled together. Amicrophone 236 is mounted in the second device housing section 262. Themicrophone 236 is at least partially exposed by the aperture 237B in thesecond device housing section, and coupled to the PCB and other devicecomponents. Audio or voice inputs to the microphone 236 may be used, forexample, to generate voice communications. When the microphone 236 ispositioned in the housing, an aperture (not shown) is provided in thefirst device housing section 260 to at least partially expose themicrophone 236. The microphone 236 may alternatively be mounted in thefirst device housing section 260 or on the PCB 264.

The device housing sections 260, 262 may include further apertures toexpose or partially expose other device components. In the first devicehousing section 260, apertures 270, 272 and 274 are configured topartially expose the auxiliary I/O devices. An aperture 268 is similarlypositioned in the second device housing section 262 to at leastpartially expose an auxiliary I/O device 228D. An aperture 266 in thesecond device housing section 262 may be provided to accommodate a powersupply such as a battery. Other apertures may also be provided in thedevice housing as necessary.

Other internal components of the device 10 may also be mounted on thePCB 264. The device components are interconnected to provide at leastdata and voice communication functionality, possibly in addition tofurther local non-communication functions and short-range communicationfunctions. Although these other internal components are not shown inFIG. 53, most of them are preferably mounted on the rear side of the PCB264, opposite the side on which the keyboard 14, display 16 and speaker234 are mounted, but some components may be mounted adjacent to thedisplay 16 and/or keyboard 14 or on or along an edge of the PCB 264. Theinternal components of the device 10 are interconnected as necessary,through wired connections, PCB tracks, other types of connectors orconnections, or possibly combinations thereof.

The first and second device housing sections 260, 262, when coupledtogether, form a handheld mobile communication device housing 10enclosing the PCB 264 and internal components. The apertures 235, 223,235 and 237B at least partially expose the speaker 234, display 16,keyboard 14 and microphone 236 as described above. Partial exposure ofthese components allows a user to make use of these components while atthe same time protecting the components from damage. Apertures 268, 270,272, 274 similarly expose and protect auxiliary I/O devices. When accessto a component will normally be required relatively infrequently, aremovable cover element may be provided for a corresponding devicehousing aperture. In the above example of a device power supply, a cover(not shown) is preferably provided for the aperture 266. Access to thepower supply is thereby possible when required, yet the battery remainsprotected when access thereto is not necessary.

The assembly in FIG. 53 offers significant manufacturing advantages forthe device 10. Mounting of most internal device components on a singlePCB 264 simplifies manufacture of the PCB in that only a single PCB mustbe built and positioned in a device housing section. Interconnectionsbetween different PCBs and problems associated with accurate relativeplacement of multiple PCBs are thereby avoided. During manufacture, thePCB 264 may be positioned on or in either the first device housingsection 260 or the second device housing section 262. The other devicesection is then moved into place and the housing sections are coupledtogether to enclose the PCB and other internal device components in asingle integrated device housing. Once assembled, the device housing isstatic, and device housing sections need not be moved relative to eachother to provide for voice and data communication or other functions.Advantageously, breakage of movable device housing sections andtypically problematic hinge arrangements and connections are therebyavoided.

The mobile communication device 10 may also include a predictive textcomputer program that is used in conjunction with the keyboard.Predictive test software is useful in reduced format keyboards, such asthe example keyboard, in order to identify the desired input from thecombination of keystrokes of a user. A predictive text computer programmay, for example, be used to predict a complete word or phrase from oneor more keystrokes. If the predictive text computer program does notsuccessfully predict a desired word or phrase, then text-entrycharacters may be entered more precisely, albeit more slowly, byselecting the appropriate characters on the keys. An example predictivetext computer program is described in the following co-owned patentapplications, which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety: “Customizable Predictive Text Method For Reduced Keyboards,”U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/397,680, filed Jul. 23, 2002;“Systems and Methods of Building and Using Custom Word Lists,”International Patent Application No. PCT/CA03/01103, filed Jul. 23,2003, and “Portable Electronic Device With Keyboard”, InternationalPatent Application No. PCT/CA02/00862, filed Jun. 10, 2002.

A number of different predictive text technologies are known and may beutilized with the example keyboard. In a multi-tap methodology, the usertaps a key multiple times until a desired letter, number, symbol, orfunction is selected. This technology has been utilized on cell phonesand touch screen devices, among other devices. Companies that offersolutions for the multi-tap method include Motorola (e.g., iTAP); Zi(e.g., eZiText); AOL (Tegic) (e.g., T9); and Eatoni (e.g., LetterWise).A related method is the long tap method, where a user depresses the keyuntil the desired character appears on the display.

Another technology involves predictive text methodologies. Thesemethodologies utilize database software to predict the entered text. Onemethod involves automatically correcting common spelling mistakes (e.g.,“teh” corrected to “the”). Predictive text methodologies use knownspellings of words in combination with their probabilities andfrequencies of use to determine a preferred word based upon inputcommands by a user. Disambiguation engines and predictive editorapplications may be used to establish a single grammatical or semanticinterpretation of the keystrokes entered by a user. With predictiveeditor applications, the display of the device depicts possiblecharacter sequences corresponding to the keystrokes that were entered.Typically, the most commonly used word is displayed first. The user mayselect other, less common words manually, or otherwise. Other types ofpredictive text computer programs may be utilized with the keyboardarrangement and keyboard described herein, without limitation.

The handheld mobile communication devices 10, presented in FIGS. 10-20,28, and 53-54 include similar features, such as a housing 12, a keyboard14 and an output device 16. The output device shown is a display 16,which is preferably a full graphic LCD. Other types of output devicesmay alternatively be utilized. A processing device 18, which is shownschematically in FIG. 54, is contained within the housing 12 and iscoupled between the physical keyboard 14 and the display 16. Theprocessing device 18 controls the operation of the display 16, as wellas the overall operation of the mobile communication device 10, inresponse to actuation of keys on the keyboard 14 by the user.

The housing 12 may be elongated vertically, or may take on other sizesand shapes, including a clamshell housing structure, among otherstructures. The keyboard may include a mode selection key, or otherhardware or software for switching between text entry and telephonyentry.

In addition to the processing device 18, other parts of the mobilecommunication device 10 are shown schematically in FIG. 54. Theseinclude a communications subsystem 100; a short-range communicationssubsystem; the keyboard 14 and the display 16, along with otherinput/output devices 106, 108, 110 and 112; as well as memory devices116, 118 and various other device subsystems 120. The mobilecommunication device 10 is preferably a two-way RF communication devicehaving voice and data communication capabilities. In addition, themobile communication device 10 preferably has the capability tocommunicate with other computer systems via the Internet.

Operating system software executed by the processing device 18 ispreferably stored in a persistent store, such as a flash memory 116, butmay be stored in other types of memory devices, such as a read onlymemory (ROM) or similar storage element. In addition, system software,specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarilyloaded into a volatile store, such as a random access memory (RAM) 118.Communication signals received by the mobile communication device mayalso be stored to the RAM 118.

The processing device 18, in addition to its operating system functions,enables execution of software applications 130A-130N on the device 10. Apredetermined set of applications that control basic device operations,such as data and voice communications 130A and 130B, may be installed onthe device 10 during manufacture. In addition, a personal informationmanager (PIM) application may be installed during manufacture. The PIMis preferably capable of organizing and managing data items, such ase-mail, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items. ThePIM application is also preferably capable of sending and receiving dataitems via a wireless network 140. Preferably, the PIM data items areseamlessly integrated, synchronized and updated via the wireless network140 with the device user's corresponding data items stored or associatedwith a host computer system. An example system and method foraccomplishing these steps is disclosed in “System And Method For PushingInformation From A Host System To A Mobile Device Having A SharedElectronic Address,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,694, which is owned by theassignee of the present application, and which is incorporated herein byreference.

Communication functions, including data and voice communications, areperformed through the communication subsystem 100, and possibly throughthe short-range communications subsystem. The communication subsystem100 includes a receiver 150, a transmitter 152, and one or more antennas154, 156. In addition, the communication subsystem 100 also includes aprocessing module, such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 158, andlocal oscillators (LOs) 160. The specific design and implementation ofthe communication subsystem 100 is dependent upon the communicationnetwork in which the mobile communication device 10 is intended tooperate. For example, a mobile communication device 10 may include acommunication subsystem 100 designed to operate with the Mobitex™, DataTAC™ or General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) mobile data communicationnetworks and also designed to operate with any of a variety of voicecommunication networks, such as AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, PCS, GSM, etc. Othertypes of data and voice networks, both separate and integrated, may alsobe utilized with the mobile communication device 10.

Network access requirements vary depending upon the type ofcommunication system. For example, in the Mobitex and DataTAC networks,mobile devices are registered on the network using a unique personalidentification number or PIN associated with each device. In GPRSnetworks, however, network access is associated with a subscriber oruser of a device. A GPRS device therefore requires a subscriber identitymodule, commonly referred to as a SIM card, in order to operate on aGPRS network.

When required network registration or activation procedures have beencompleted, the mobile communication device 10 may send and receivecommunication signals over the communication network 140. Signalsreceived from the communication network 140 by the antenna 154 arerouted to the receiver 150, which provides for signal amplification,frequency down conversion, filtering, channel selection, etc., and mayalso provide analog to digital conversion. Analog-to-digital conversionof the received signal allows the DSP 158 to perform more complexcommunication functions, such as demodulation and decoding. In a similarmanner, signals to be transmitted to the network 140 are processed (e.g.modulated and encoded) by the DSP 158 and are then provided to thetransmitter 152 for digital to analog conversion, frequency upconversion, filtering, amplification and transmission to thecommunication network 140 (or networks) via the antenna 156.

In addition to processing communication signals, the DSP 158 providesfor control of the receiver 150 and the transmitter 152. For example,gains applied to communication signals in the receiver 150 andtransmitter 152 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gaincontrol algorithms implemented in the DSP 158.

In a data communication mode, a received signal, such as a text messageor web page download, is processed by the communication subsystem 100and is input to the processing device 18. The received signal is thenfurther processed by the processing device 18 for an output to thedisplay 16, or alternatively to some other auxiliary I/O device 106. Adevice user may also compose data items, such as e-mail messages, usingthe keyboard 14 and/or some other auxiliary I/O device 106, such as atouchpad, a rocker switch, a thumb-wheel, or some other type of inputdevice. The composed data items may then be transmitted over thecommunication network 140 via the communication subsystem 100.

In a voice communication mode, overall operation of the device issubstantially similar to the data communication mode, except thatreceived signals are output to a speaker 110, and signals fortransmission are generated by a microphone 112. Alternative voice oraudio I/O subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, mayalso be implemented on the device 10. In addition, the display 16 mayalso be utilized in voice communication mode, for example to display theidentity of a calling party, the duration of a voice call, or othervoice call related information.

The short-range communications subsystem enables communication betweenthe mobile communication device 10 and other proximate systems ordevices, which need not necessarily be similar devices. For example, theshort-range communications subsystem may include an infrared device andassociated circuits and components, or a Bluetooth™ communication moduleto provide for communication with similarly-enabled systems and devices.

As described above, a preferred example keyboard represents a marriageof a text entry keyboard with a telephony keypad, but in a reduced keyformat. The example keyboard can be used in two modes. In a first mode,the user utilizes two hands to input text characters, similar to the useof a standard 26 key keyboard. In a second mode, the user utilizes asingle hand to input numeric characters in telephony mode. Thus, theexample keyboard provides two different methods for input, both of whichare already familiar separately to a user.

Accordingly, the example keyboard also concerns a method for operating akeyboard and for inputting text and telephony commands on a keyboard.The method includes inputting numbers into a mobile communication deviceutilizing a single hand and inputting text into a mobile communicationdevice utilizing two hands. The method further includes inputtingfunctional commands and symbols utilizing two hands. Alternatively,functional commands and symbols may be input utilizing one hand.

The keys may be toggle keys or non-toggle keys, if desired. Additionalor fewer rows and columns, above and beyond the number shown herein, mayalso be provided to position functional and other keys, if desired.Furthermore, the keys may be aligned in columns, or may be staggered, insome embodiments.

While most of the examples depict a QWERTY arrangement of alphabeticcharacters, the examples are equally applicable to other standardarrangements. Moreover, the QWERTY keyboard has been presented withcertain combinations of alphabetic characters on each key. Othercombinations may alternatively be utilized, without limitation, as longas the alphabetic characters are presented in the same order as theirstandard arrangement.

The word “substantially” is used herein as an estimation term.

While various features of the claimed invention are presented above, itshould be understood that the features may be used singly or in anycombination thereof. Therefore, the claimed invention is not to belimited to only the specific embodiments depicted herein.

Further, it should be understood that variations and modifications mayoccur to those skilled in the art to which the claimed inventionpertains. The embodiments described herein are exemplary of the claimedinvention. The disclosure may enable those skilled in the art to makeand use embodiments having alternative elements that likewise correspondto the elements of the invention recited in the claims. The intendedscope of the invention may thus include other embodiments that do notdiffer or that insubstantially differ from the literal language of theclaims. The scope of the present invention is accordingly defined as setforth in the appended claims.

1. A keyboard comprising: a plurality of keys and corresponding indiciaincluding keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to astandard keyboard layout array of letters A-Z and an overlaid numericphone key arrangement corresponding to the numbers 0-9, said pluralityof keys associated with alphabetic characters numbering fewer than 26,and further comprising at least one function key comprising a space key,with the space key having a height that is greater than the height ofthe remainder of said plurality of keys.
 2. The keyboard of claim 1,wherein the space key is positioned in a row of keys and extends belowthe remainder of keys in the row of keys.
 3. The keyboard of claim 1,wherein the plurality of keys is arranged in a grid pattern having aplurality of columns and rows, and the space key is positioned in abottom row of keys and extends below the remainder of keys in the bottomrow.
 4. The keyboard of claim 3, wherein the space key is centered inthe bottom row of keys.
 5. The physical keyboard of claim 1, wherein thespace key shares a key with the number
 0. 6. The physical keyboard ofclaim 1, wherein the space key is configured to be contacted by thefinger of a user utilizing touch.
 7. The physical keyboard of claim 1,wherein the standard keyboard layout comprises one of QWERTY, QWERTZ,AZERTY, and DVORAK.
 8. A keyboard comprising: a plurality of keysarranged in a grid pattern having a plurality of rows including a bottomrow, said plurality of keys being associated with indicia correspondingto letters A-Z, numbers 0-9, and at least one function, wherein keyspositioned in the bottom row have a top line of alignment and a bottomline of alignment, with an area positioned between the top and bottomlines of alignment, with at least one of said keys comprising anelongated key that extends outside of the area between the top andbottom lines of alignment.
 9. The keyboard of claim 8, wherein theelongated key extends below the bottom line of alignment.
 10. Thekeyboard of claim 9, wherein the elongated key is centered in itsrespective row of keys.
 11. The keyboard of claim 8, wherein the atleast one function comprises a space function, and said elongated keycomprises a single key that is associated with the space function. 12.The keyboard of claim 11, wherein said elongated key is furtherassociated with the number
 0. 13. A keyboard comprising: a plurality ofkeys arranged in a grid pattern having a plurality of rows, with each ofthe rows having a top line of alignment and a bottom line of alignmentsuch that each key in the row is at least partially positioned in anarea between the top and bottom lines, said plurality of keys beingassociated with indicia corresponding to letters A-Z, numbers 0-9, andat least one function, wherein at least one key of the plurality of keysextends outside the area between the top and bottom lines of alignmentfor the respective row.
 14. The keyboard of claim 13, wherein theplurality of rows includes a bottom row, and the at least one key thatextends outside the area between the top and bottom lines is positionedin the bottom row.
 15. The keyboard of claim 13, wherein the at leastone key that extends outside the area between the top and bottom lineshas a height that is greater than a height of any other keys in therespective row that the at least one key is positioned in.
 16. Thekeyboard of claim 15, wherein the at least one key that extends outsidethe area between the top and bottom lines is in a bottom row of the gridpattern and is positioned in the center of the row.
 17. The keyboard ofclaim 16, wherein the at least one key that extends outside the areabetween the top and bottom lines is associated with a space function.18. The keyboard of claim 17, wherein the at least one key that extendsoutside the area between the top and bottom lines is further associatedwith at least one number.